Sir, – I couldn't agree more with Michael McDowell regarding restoration of heritage sites ("Restoring historic buildings beats letting them crumble", Opinion & Analysis, March 9th).
I was a tour guide for 25 years and during the tourist season would have visited the Rock of Cashel on average once a week. My abiding memory of the Rock of Cashel is of scaffolding inside and outside the cathedral on the site. It seemed as if the Office of Public Works (OPW) was on a never-ending mission to retain a ruin. A roof and windows would have solved the problem.
I spoke once with a leading businessman in the town of Cashel who supported the idea of restoring the cathedral as it could have perhaps been used by the local community for hosting events, without endangering its cultural and historical heritage. – Yours, etc,
JOHN HICKEY,
Tralee,
Co Kerry.